The Covid-19 coronavirus saga continues as we make our first steps into summer. Even though Tokyo has completely reopened and residents are now able to travel between prefectures, Japan is still hesitant to open its doors to international visitors.
Starting on Wednesday July 1, Japan will ban entry to non-citizens arriving from an additional 18 nations, including Algeria, Cameroon, Central Africa, Costa Rica, Cuba, Eswatini, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iraq, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This brings the total of number of nations and regions in Japan's no-entry list to 129.
Here are all the nations and regions affected by Japan’s travel ban as of July 1.
Asia Pacific: Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Brunei, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.
North America: Canada, United States of America.
Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, the Grenadines, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay.
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City.
Middle East: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates.
Africa: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central Africa, Cote d’lvoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Africa.
However, a travel bubble between Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam is looking like a real possibility. On Thursday June 25, a chartered flight travelled from Japan to Vietnam bringing business travellers to the Southeast Asia country. As for foreign residents, they are still only allowed to re-enter Japan under ‘exceptional circumstances’, such as visiting their home country for a relative’s memorial service or for a critical medical procedure.
For more information, see the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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